Written Answers Monday 13 February 2006

Scottish Executive

Energy Efficiency

John Scott (Ayr) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many loans have been approved under the Loan Action Scotland scheme in each year since the scheme was established.

Nicol Stephen: Loan Action Scotland was launched in October 1999. The number of loans approved in each year since then is given below.

  

 1999-2000 (part year)
 7


 2000-01
 13


 2001-02
 18


 2002-03
 11


 2003-04
 20


 2004-05
 25


 2005-06 (to 31 December)
 23

Energy Efficiency

John Scott (Ayr) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what carbon savings the Loan Action Scotland scheme has delivered in each year since the scheme was established.

Nicol Stephen: Lifetime carbon savings (in tonnes) for each year of the scheme are detailed in the table below. Lifetime is defined as the period of time over which the energy efficiency asset is in place before a further replacement is required.

  

 1999-2000 (part year)
 582


 2000-01
 855


 2001-02
 2,913


 2002-03
 1,582


 2003-04
 5,051


 2004-05
 5,856


 2005-06 (to 31 December)
 9,531


 Total
 26,370

People with Learning Disabilities

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what further education is provided for young people with learning disabilities.

Nicol Stephen: The Executive is committed to ensuring that everyone has the chance to learn irrespective of their background or personal circumstances. Our widening access policy is helping to break down barriers to participation faced by all groups including students with learning disabilities.

  The further education sector has made great efforts in recent years to make college provision accessible and inclusive to all those who wish to study and participation by students with disabilities or additional support needs has increased year on year.

  Scotland’s colleges receive additional funding in respect of students who either attend a special programme or who require additional support to undertake a mainstream course.

  In addition to mainstream courses, Scottish colleges provide a range of programmes and courses which allow young people with learning disabilities to access further education and develop and improve their core skills.

  We recognise that for some students with the most complex needs, there is limited or no suitable provision in Scotland. Last year, we undertook a consultation to find out more about current provision; funding policies and experiences of young people with additional support needs. The consultation closed on 31 October 2005. We are currently considering options on how to best meet the needs of students with complex needs and will announce the next steps shortly.

People with Learning Disabilities

Alasdair Morgan (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will respond to the results of its Finding Practical Solutions to Complex Needs consultation.

Nicol Stephen: The consultation exercise on Finding Practical Solutions to Complex Needs closed on 31 October 2005 and a summary of responses was published on the Scottish Executive website on 27 January 2006.

  We are currently considering options on how best to meet the needs of students with the most complex needs. We will announce the next steps shortly and plan to consult on the proposals over the next few months.

Recycling

Shiona Baird (North East Scotland) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive how many local authorities operate (a) source-segregated and (b) co-mingled recycling schemes.

Ross Finnie: For the purposes of this question, we have assumed that "source-segregated" is a system where materials are separated into individual types before collection or at the kerbside. We have assumed that "co-mingled" is a system where different material types are collected together mixed and then separated at a materials recycling facility.

  Information held by the Scottish Waste Awareness Group (SWAG) indicates that there are 19 local authorities operating source-segregated recycling schemes; 10 local authorities operating both source-segregated recycling schemes and co-mingled recycling schemes, and three local authorities operating co-mingled schemes. Authorities operate a number of collection schemes and SWAG’s Information indicates that, across Scotland, there are 83 source segregated schemes operated by local authorities and 22 co-mingled schemes operated by authorities.

  Information on recycling facilities across Scotland can be found by using "Sort It" on SWAG’s website http://www.wascot.org.uk/sort_it_website/html/frame_scot.htm.

UK Electoral Administration Bill

Alasdair Morgan (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-22673 by George Lyon on 31 January 2006, how any additional costs incurred by local authorities as a result of implementing section 9 of the UK Electoral Administration Bill will be funded.

George Lyon: I refer the member to the answer given to that question. The Scottish Executive has no function in relation to electoral registration matters and no role in determining funding for them.